Four-term ruling party lawmaker named unification minister

Unification minister-designate Lee In-young is a four-term lawmaker known for leading the pro-democracy student movement in the 1980s as the inaugural leader of what was then the country's biggest college student organization. Lee's designation is widely seen as reflecting President Moon Jae-in's intention to seek a breakthrough in the long-stalled inter-Korean relations amid North Korea's anger over anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets and Seoul's overall policy on cross-border relations. Born

July 3, 2020

[Breaking] Four-term ruling party lawmaker nominated as unification minister, NIS chief as national security adviser

President Moon Jae-in nominated Lee In-young, a four-term ruling party lawmaker, as South Korea's new unification minister Friday in a shake-up of his security team aimed at providing fresh momentum to troubled efforts to improve inter-Korean ties and revitalize the peace process. Moon also tapped Suh Hoon, head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), as new director of national security. Lee, known for brisk involvement in peace-related activities as a lawmaker with the Democratic Party,

July 3, 2020

Moon calls for heavier tax burden on owners of multiple homes to curb housing price surge

President Moon Jae-in instructed his land minister Thursday to push for ways to raise tax burdens on owners of two or more houses, as he received an emergency report on South Korea's real estate market viewed by many as being overheated. He called in Kim Hyun-mee, minister of land, infrastructure and transport, for the debriefing, with his government confronted with fierce public criticism over its unsuccessful policies in tackling skyrocketing home prices especially in Seoul and adjacent cit

July 2, 2020

In snub to prosecution chief, justice minister exercises authority in suspected collusion case

In snub to prosecution chief, justice minister exercises authority in suspected collusion case Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Thursday ordered Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to suspend the convening of an expert advisory panel to review a suspected collusion case that involves a prosecutor deemed close to Yoon, invoking her authority to command the prosecution's investigation. "With the investigation going on, experts' assessment on the case might bring out a hasty conclusion, which in

July 2, 2020

Young, moderate adults ebb away from Moon’s support base

President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating dropped to the lowest in three months, while the gap between the ruling and main opposition parties narrowed, a poll showed Thursday. According to a poll conducted by Realmeter, Moon’s approval rating came to 49.4 percent in the first week of July. This is the first time the figure has dropped below 50 percent in Realmeter polls since the third week of March. A Gallup Korea poll for the final week of June also showed similar results, puttin

July 2, 2020

Moon urges legislation on raising property ownership taxes against soaring housing prices

President Moon Jae-in instructed his aides Thursday to push urgently for legislation on imposing more taxes on property ownership, especially on those with high-priced or multiple apartments, as his government has come under ferocious public criticism over unrelenting hikes in housing prices in Seoul and its adjacent cities. Moon's call represents the government's resolve to tackle the problem, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok, The president is scheduled to receive a related

July 2, 2020

Main opposition to end boycott, return to assembly next week

Ending its monthlong boycott of the ruling party-controlled National Assembly, the main opposition party will return to the chamber early next week, party leaders said Thursday. Protesting against the ruling Democratic Party's (DP) unilateral formation of parliamentary standing committees since early June, the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) has been boycotting the assembly's plenary session votes as well as the review of an extra budget bill. While the UFP has stayed away from the

July 2, 2020

Ex-PM Lee to bid for party chairmanship next week

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Wednesday he would announce his bid for the chairmanship of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea next week, which could help the key potential presidential candidate consolidate his position and stamp his authority on the liberal faction. Lee said he would make an announcement on his future course of action on Tuesday, about eight weeks before the Democratic Party’s Aug. 29 convention where a new chairman and other leaders will be elected. &ldqu

July 1, 2020

Moon hopes Trump to meet NK leader before November election: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korean President Moon Jae-in hopes that US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet each other again ahead of the Nov. 3 US presidential election in order to reactivate the Korea peace process, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. Cheong Wa Dae has already conveyed Moon's idea to the White House in their "close communication" especially following the North's demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office in its border city of Kaesong in mid-

July 1, 2020

Former justice minister's nephew sentenced to 4 years in prison

A Seoul court on Tuesday sentenced a relative of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk to imprisonment of four years in the first court ruling on corruption allegations surrounding Cho's family. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the jail sentence and a fine of 50 million won ($41,570) on Cho Beom-dong for embezzlement and violation of capital market law. The court, however, cleared him of most charges linked to the former minister's wife, Chung Kyung-sim, rejecting the prosecution's clai

June 30, 2020

W3b extra budget proposal clears first hurdle in National Assembly

The country’s third and largest-ever extra budget plan cleared a minor hurdle Tuesday as the ruling Democratic Party forges ahead with the review process despite the absence of the main opposition party following fierce strife between the rival political groups. Sixteen parliamentary standing committees completed the budget review sessions by adding 3.13 trillion won ($2.61 billion) to the government’s initial budget of 35.3 trillion won, the third extra budget to support indust

June 30, 2020

[News Focus] With 20 months left, what are prospects of liberals winning next presidency?

SEJONG -- The next presidential election will be conducted in about 20 months, under which South Korea is to see the president-elect in March 2022. While President Moon Jae-in finishes his term at midnight May 9, 2022, the new presidential transition committee -- being formed after the scheduled March 9 election in the year -- will carry out preparation activities during Moon’s final weeks in office. A viewpoint for the coming 20th president of Korea is whether the majority of vote

June 30, 2020

Ruling party unilaterally takes chairman posts of all standing committees

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has strengthened its grip on the National Assembly, already heavily tilted to the left, by taking the chair posts of nearly all standing committees, after talks with the main opposition party on sharing them fell apart. In a plenary session held on Monday, 181 lawmakers, including 176 from the Democratic Party, completed casting votes for the mainstream liberal party to secure 17 committee chairmanships out of 18. The chief of the Intelligence Committee w

June 29, 2020

Court cuts prison term of ex-presidential aides in retrial of 'white list' case

In a retrial of a high-profile "white list" case under the former administration of Park Geun-hye, an appellate court on Friday reduced the prison term of Kim Ki-choon, Park's former chief of staff, to a year from 18 months. Kim was indicted for pressuring the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), a business lobby group, to provide 6.9 billion won ($5.7 million) between 2014 and 2016 to 33 conservative activist groups and other organizations supportive of the Park administration. Am

June 26, 2020

Ex-lawmaker tapped to lead national anti-corruption agency

President Moon Jae-in has picked a former two-term ruling party lawmaker as new head of South Korea's state anti-corruption body, Cheong Wa Dae announced Friday. Jeon Hyun-heui, who was defeated in the April 15 parliamentary elections as a candidate of the Democratic Party, is to replace Pak Un-jong as chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), a minister-grade position. Pak is retiring at the end of this month. Before joining the political world, Jeon was a dentis

June 26, 2020

Opposition leader vows continued boycott of assembly committee formation

Having been re-endorsed as the floor leader of the main opposition party, Rep. Joo Ho-young vowed Thursday to boycott the parliamentary process to distribute standing committee seats, a move likely to delay the chamber's passage of a new COVID-19 response budget bill. In an emergency plenary meeting of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP), Joo was unanimously re-endorsed as the floor leader earlier in the day. Joo offered to resign from the seat on June 15 after the chairman posts f

June 25, 2020

Feud between justice minister and prosecutor general subsides

Friction between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl appears to have subsided, after hitting a point where President Moon Jae-in had to summon them together to call for cooperation on prosecution reform. Ever since the minister took office in January, Choo has clashed with Yoon over myriad issues, from a personal reshuffle that relegated Yoon’s key lieutenants at the prosecution office, to investigations into scandals involving former Justice Minister Ch

June 23, 2020

Moon says revision of labor laws crucial for ILO conventions

President Moon Jae-in emphasized the significance Tuesday of revising South Korea's major labor-related laws to allow the jobless and dismissed workers to join unions and improve the overall rights of employees here, as the government is pushing for the ratification of some key conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). He was speaking during a weekly Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae, according to presidential deputy spokesman Yoon Jae-kwan. In the session, its members ap

June 23, 2020

Digitalization of govt. services moved up amid pandemic

South Korea's government has brought forward the digitalization of public services, as social distancing has become a new normal and face-to-face meetings are no longer desired amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The government announced Tuesday a revised version of the digital innovation plan for public services, taking into consideration a variety of social changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous version was announced in October last year. According to the plan, driver's lic

June 23, 2020

Moon urges parliament to handle extra budget bill to battle pandemic

President Moon Jae-in pressed the National Assembly in an unusually strong tone Tuesday to approve the government's plan for another batch of supplementary budgets intended to support South Korea's fight against the new coronavirus and curb its impact on the economy. His call came as the parliament is still in limbo due to partisan strife over the selection of the heads of major standing committees. Three weeks earlier, the Moon administration submitted a bill on allocating 35.3 trillion won

June 23, 2020